COLLEGE PREVIEW 2013 NCAA DIVISION I MEN TOP 20 MASSACHUSETTS
2012 RECORD: 15-1 (6-0 CAA) COACH: GREG CANNELLA (19TH YEAR)
MINUTEMEN 13
Feb 9 Army Feb 16 North Carolina * Feb 23 at Harvard Mar 2 Brown Mar 5 at Albany Mar 9 at Bucknell Mar 16 Penn State Mar 19 at Lehigh Mar 23 at Hartford Mar 30 at St. Joseph’s Apr 6 at Towson Apr 13 Drexel Apr 20 at Hofstra Apr 26 Delaware * at Kennesaw State, Atlanta
It’s hard to fi nd a coach who doesn’t preach about the value of a good senior class. Seniors command respect. They motivate younger players. Greg Cannella, in his 19th
season at Massachusetts, depends heavily on fourth-year players. That’s because UMass, like many collegiate lacrosse programs not considered elite, doesn’t typically snag a bunch of can’t-miss prospects from the high school ranks — players who can dominate for several years at the Division I level. At UMass, the loftier heights of on-fi eld success tend to run in cycles that are directly associated with the success of its seniors. And after losing a 12-man senior group that was a driving force behind the school’s 15-1 season, the Minutemen will be charged with keeping that cycle from turning downward. “Development of our players takes two or three years,” Cannella said. “We don’t get the types of players that show up at Virginia or Syracuse or Maryland or Duke, where it’s not a shock if a few young guys really take off fast.” Cannella’s best team, which went 13-5 in 2006 and upset Maryland to reach the NCAA fi nal, was dominated by seniors, including attackman Sean Morris, defenseman Jack Reid and faceoff man Jake Deane. It also helped that year that Cannella struck gold in 2006 with a few freshmen, none more than goalie Doc
Schneider, who is now an assistant at UMass. “Doc was only recruited by [Division III] Gettysburg and UMass,” Cannella said. “Schools like ours need to get lucky with a special guy once in a while.”
The cycle repeated itself even on Schneider’s watch. For the next two years, the Minutemen failed to register a winning record. But in 2009, with a formidable senior class led by Schneider, UMass won the ECAC championship, made the NCAA tournament and fi nished 9-6.
The Minutemen then failed to make the NCAA tournament for the next two seasons, before last year’s senior-heavy group carried them to a school-record 15 victories. Now, it’s largely up to the seniors again to show the way. It’s up to attackmen Will Manny and Kyle Smith, defensemen Jake Smith and Ryan Hollenbaugh and midfi elders Colin Fleming and Bobby Tyler to ignite UMass.
“Hopefully that loss to Colgate [in the NCAA tournament’s fi rst round] motivated our seniors even more this year,” Cannella said. “You live in anguish in the summer after a loss like that.”
42 LACROSSE MAGAZINE February 2013 >>
Will Manny
RIVAL COACHES SAY “They graduated a ton, but Cannella is at his best when the doubters come knocking… It’s rare to see a team that plays at a level of UMass when the ball’s on the ground, with the physicality and ferocity… I know enough about Will Manny to know he is going to be a handful.”
TOP RETURNER A Will Manny (Sr.) Manny might have won
the Tewaaraton Award if UMass fared better in the playoffs. As the top scorer in all categories, he’s the heart and soul of UMass. Manny also sets a great example with his defensive hustle. His hard riding yielded 34 ground balls. “He’s everything you want in a player,” Cannella said.
X-FACTOR M Bobby Tyler (Sr.) Cannella plans to start Tyler and play him at both ends of the fi eld, with an eye on his defensive work. It’s as much a response to the game’s new rules that do not allow horn substitutions as it is a nod to Tyler’s defensive abilities.
UMass coach Greg Cannella called attackman Kyle
Smith “our American Canadian.” The senior scored 33 goals in 2012.
— G.L.
PROJECTED STARTERS
A Will Manny (Sr.)* G: 44 A: 33
A Kyle Smith (Sr.)* G: 33 A: 19
A Grant Whiteway (So.) G: 2 A: 0
M Colin Fleming (Sr.) G: 26 A: 8
M Connor Mooney (Jr.) G: 7 A:9
M Bobby Tyler (Sr.)* G: 4 A: 6
FO Joe Calvello (Jr.) FO%: 45.5 GB: 10
LSM Brett Tobin (Sr.) GB: 18 CT: 7
D Jake Smith (Sr.)* GB: 28 CT: 11
D Ryan Hollenbaugh (Sr.)* GB: 25 CT: 12
D James Fahey (Jr.) GB: 1 CT: 2
G Zach Oliveri (R-Fr.) GAA: 6.00 SV%: 67.0 (from 2011 at Connetquot High)
* returning starters TELLING NUMBER 34.3 Shooting
Division I. Manny shot a sizzling 54.3 percent, and UMass does not waste questionable shots. A Publication of US Lacrosse
percentage in 2012, fourth in
©JOHN AND MATT RISLEY (WM); ©UMASS (GC); ©THOM KENDALL (KS)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100